Seton Hall University’s Top Student Entrepreneurs Vie for $16K at the Pirates Pitch 2025 Startup Competition

Do you dream of one day being an entrepreneur? Do you watch Shark Tank and wonder how contestants turn ideas into thriving ventures? Well, do we have an event for you.

On Wednesday evening, April 2, Seton Hall University's top student entrepreneurs will pitch their innovative startup concepts to a panel of distinguished judges as they compete for $16,000 in seed funding awards and professional services.

Students, faculty, alumni, parents and members of the community are invited to an amazing night of innovative ideas at the 15th annual Pirates Pitch Startup Competition. The in-person event, which will take place from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. in the University Center Theatre, will showcase startup businesses being developed by the six finalist teams that have advanced to the championship round. The competition will also be livestreamed. To access the livestream, please click HERE.

Attendees will have an opportunity to select their favorite finalist team and vote for the $500 Audience Choice Award. Provost Katia Passerini and Stillman School of Business Dean Joyce Strawser will provide opening remarks to kick off the competition. Members of the Entrepreneurship Club will serve as emcees.

The event is the centerpiece of the Center of Innovation and Entrepreneurship's entrepreneurship education program. "The goal of Pirates Pitch is to cultivate the ambitious drive of student entrepreneurs and provide an opportunity for them to make their dreams a reality," said Susan Scherreik, director of the Center of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Seton Hall University students are launching businesses as never before and this year’s contest will showcase both operating startups and business models still in development. For anyone seeking to learn how they can one day be their own boss, this event is not to be missed.

Successful alumni entrepreneurs will serve as judges at the contest. They are: Bryan Jakovcic '09, president and owner, Fusion Health; Gabino Roche,’98, chief executive officer and founder, Saphyre; Shannon D.M. Morris ,’92/M.A. ’94, managing partner, Tent Collective, and founder, The Whistle Company; and Carina Castagna ‘21/M.P.A. ‘22, founder and chief executive officer, Pesto Joe.

The judges will be looking for creative and innovative thinking about new markets, products and services. Also important, the teams will be judged on their perceived ability to execute their concepts and turn them into viable and sustainable businesses. Student businesses can be either for-profit enterprises, or non-profit ventures that tackle societal and community problems.

The student teams will be judged on their pitches at the event, as well as be evaluated on business plans they will create and share with judges in advance of the finalist round of the competition. Using these criteria, the judges will select first, second and third place winners.

These student teams will be awarded the following prizes:

First Place Prize: $8,000
Second Place Prize: $4,500
Third Place Prize: $3,000
Audience Choice Award: $500

In addition, finalists will receive pro bono legal advice from Santomassimo Davis LLP /Outside General Counsel Solutions, the competition’s legal sponsor. Further, finalists have the opportunity to participate in the Pirates LaunchPad summer accelerator program, which offers advanced student entrepreneurs an additional $2,000 in seed funding as they continue to develop their business models assisted by faculty and alumni mentors.

The student finalists listed in alphabetical order are:

• Kevin Abbaszadeh, is a Stillman School freshman pursuing a business administration degree with a focus on pre-law studies. He is a founder and chief marketing officer of All In, an app that was recently launched in the Apple App Store. All In is a social media platform where poker players, enthusiasts and fans can share strategies and host games.
• Janice Huang is a junior studying marketing. Her business model, AI Lecture Assist, is an AI powered platform  to help college professors to improve lectures and teaching effectiveness while saving time. 
• Sahil Khosla is a graduate student pursuing a M.S. in professional accounting. His business idea, ANS Consulting Group, is a service to help small financial investment firms implement and comply with global investment performance standards.
• Jordan Rabadi, a senior majoring in accounting, and Mikayla Salib, a junior majoring in diplomacy,  are members of the Buccino Leadership Institute. Their business idea, Shoulder Me, is a mental health wellness social media platform to provide support to police officers because their work is often stressful, which can make them prone to suffering from mental health issues.
• Aaron Stanway, a junior majoring in diplomacy, Maximillian Otto, a senior majoring in diplomacy, Lucas Olaya, a junior majoring in finance and technology, and Karissa Kromminga, a sophomore studying diplomacy, are the founders of Guard Net.  Their idea is an innovative social media platform designed to raise awareness about human trafficking and protect people most vulnerable to becoming victims.
• Tania Stokes is an MBA student who is developing a business called Digi Rookie, which is a digital marketing learning platform designed to simplify online marketing for entrepreneurs, particularly women entrepreneurs and faith-based brands.

Categories: Business